For the first time in years there’s a new high-end Apple smartwatch model that’s beefier, more rugged, lasts longer, and is aimed squarely at dethroning Garmin at the top of the adventure watch market. But does the Apple Watch Ultra really compete? Not enough.
The new watch isn’t cheap, of course, and only works with an iPhone. It costs £849 ($799 / AU$1,299) – well above the SE entry point which starts at £259 and the mid-range 8 Series costs £419 and up. That said, you can easily spend £779 on the better looking 8 Series models.
That puts the top-of-the-line Ultra up against its main rival, the £749 Epix from Garmin, but below the dizzying prices of luxury smartwatches over £1,000 from Montblanc, Tag Heuer and others.
Inside the Ultra is essentially a Series 8. It has the same chip, sensors, and software, which instantly makes it the most capable smartwatch on the market. But the exterior is bigger, thicker, meaner, and titanium.
The flat screen is twice as bright, in scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and surrounded by a metal bezel to protect it from shocks. The left side has a new “action” button and a 40% louder speaker capable of producing an 86dB siren for attracting attention in the wild.
It seems like it means business: rugged in an expensive way that commands attention. Although it measures 49mm on your wrist, the Ultra is quite compact for an adventure watch and still slips easily under shirt cuffs. It comes with a choice of three strap types, but will also take existing 44mm or 45mm Apple Watch straps.
The Trail Loop is an upgraded version of Apple’s Sport Loop and is extremely comfortable for general wear and running with a slight stretch. The alpine buckle is a sturdy nylon band that resembles hiking bag straps with a G-buckle. It’s also very comfortable and stands out on your wrist.
The Ocean Strap is a thick, eye-catching rubber strap designed for water sports. It has an adjustable metal strap that firmly secures the free end to prevent it from getting caught in objects.
Features
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Suitcase size: 49mm
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Case Thickness: 14.4mm
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Lester: 61.3g
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Processor: S8
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Storage: 32 GB
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Operating system: WatchOS 9.1
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Water resistance: 100 meters (10ATM)
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Sensors: HR, ECG, spO2, temperature, depth, microphone, speaker, NFC, dual-band GNSS, compass, altimeter
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Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, wifi n, NFC, ultra wideband, 4G/eSIM optional
Larger battery
The Ultra has a 76% larger battery than other models and usually lasts just under twice as long, at around 68 hours of continuous wear between charges. It’s two days, two nights, and most of a third day, including 30 minutes of daily exercise and overnight sleep tracking. Without exercise, I could get three days out of it.
Still, that’s less than half the Garmin Epix OLED display and miles behind the Fenix 7 by over two weeks. But compare workout tracking times and the Ultra is much closer. The Epix lasts approximately 15 hours of running tracking at its most accurate dual-band GPS mode or up to 42 hours with standard GPS only. The Ultra managed at least 12 hours of running in my tests with the same dual-band GPS tracking, which is definitely long enough for a 50k marathon or ultramarathon, but not long enough for longer 100k runs. km or 100 miles with default settings.
A low-power mode can be enabled for workouts, which disables the always-on display and some general-use alert features, extending battery life by about five hours. To go further, you can reduce the tracking accuracy to heart rate readings once per minute and GPS readings once every two minutes instead of every second.
The Ultra charges fairly quickly, hitting 80% dead in just over an hour and a full charge in just over 90 minutes using the USB-C magnetic charging puck.
Better workout tracking
Apple has improved its workout tracking for the Ultra in several ways. The display can show six lines of readings plus time (five on the smaller models) and is extremely bright, so you can see it easily in direct sunlight. It features the aforementioned dual-band GPS technology, which increases accuracy in and around dense urban areas and typically assorted rivals. The Ultra also has “precision start”, which lets you wait to lock in your heart rate and GPS before you set off, a software feature that should be present on every Apple Watch.
However, it lacks a few key features compared to its rivals. It lacks proper navigation or offline maps, so you can’t load a race or track route leaving waypoints in the compass app or breadcrumb trails your only option to get back to the start . You cannot connect an external power meter – a common tool for endurance events. To run, you have to press the crown and the action button to pause the workout, which is annoying. You also can’t set it to lock the screen automatically when you exercise, meaning you can accidentally stop tracking or press random on-screen buttons during more strenuous activities without realizing it.
None of them are a deal-killer for generalist or occasional long-distance athletes, but could very well be aimed at the target market of adventurers, multisport or endurance athletes.
Apple has also added a depth gauge and water temperature sensors to the watch, so it can act as a recreational dive guide to depths of 40 meters. An app that turns it into a full dive computer for planning and recording trips will be available in the near future.
Sustainability
Apple doesn’t provide an expected lifespan for the battery, but it should last over 500 full charge cycles from at least 80 per cent of its original capacity and can be replaced for £105. All other repairs cost £509.
The Ultra contains recycled gold, plastic, rare earth elements, tin and tungsten. Apple offers free exchange and recycling of devices, and breaks down the watch’s environmental impact in its report.
Price
The Apple Watch Ultra costs £849 ($799 / A$1,299). For comparison, the Apple Watch SE costs £259, the Series 8 costs from £419, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro costs £429, the Garmin Fenix 7 costs £599 and the Garmin Epix costs £749 .
Verdict
The Ultra is the biggest, best and most expensive Apple Watch you can get.
At its core, it’s a Series 8 bumped up to 11, with a bigger battery, brighter screen, new sensors and an extra button, instantly making it the most capable smartwatch available for iPhones. . Day to day, its rugged, yet expensive new look sets it apart from its siblings and makes it a statement watch. It looks great and works well.
But Apple is targeting the adventure watch market dominated by Garmin’s high-end lines. Here, the Ultra isn’t quite a winner. There are around 70% of them, offering most of the features that explorers and elite athletes need. But it lacks battery power for long-endurance events, and lacks route mapping and compatibility with major external sensors. It lacks simple things like button customization during workouts and the ability to automatically lock the touchscreen during activities. All of these features are standard on rivals.
None of these are likely to be a deal breaker for more casual or casual athletes, but it will be for those who really push the envelope and rely on their sports watches. Garmin doesn’t have too much to worry about here yet, but most of the Ultra’s weaknesses can and likely will be addressed with software additions. How all bets are off.
Advantages: comprehensive smartwatch, health and safety tracking features, ECG, excellent activity tracking, 100m water resistance, three-day longer battery life, long software support, recycled materials , 4G optional, rugged design that stands out.
The inconvenients: very expensive, only works with iPhone, no workout route planning or offline maps, no external sensor support beyond heart rate, battery life too short for the longest common endurance events.